Centre County’s free COVID-19 testing site will return, but it might have a new location
Free COVID-19 testing will resume in the new year, but the county-funded, pop-up site could have a new location.
Anticipating out-of-county holiday travel and increased need, the Centre County Board of Commissioners unanimously extended the contract with AMI Expeditionary Healthcare on Tuesday to allow testing to run from Jan. 5-30.
“I do think that this period of testing will be crucial as we will have individuals that will potentially travel after Christmas or even celebrate New Year’s, and we would want to have testing in place past that,” Commissioner Michael Pipe said.
Last week, the site shut down after operating for seven weeks in the former Bon-Ton location at the Nittany Mall. More than 5,550 tests were administered at the site, an average of 221 tests per day.
The site is funded by CARES Act funds the county received earlier this year. The county has payed about $78,000 per week to operate the testing site. The most recent contract extension is for $316,025 — about $79,000 per week — and allows for 300 tests per day.
The mall has not committed to hosting the site with the most recent contract extension, county Administrator Margaret Gray said.
Gray said the county has started compiling a list of alternate locations to host the testing site if the mall declines. The official location will be announced prior to Jan. 5.
“We will try to keep it as central to the county as possible so that it’s accessible to our residents from all over the county,” Gray said.
Mall management never signed a contract to operate the site nor did they receive compensation for the space.
When operations resume next month, the site will be open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.
Patients of all ages may utilize the site, and no symptoms or appointments are needed to receive a free test. A photo ID or insurance card are required upon arrival. Registration is completed on-site.
This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 11:50 AM.
